The acquisition of Qarnot enhances Scaleway's portfolio with dedicated high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities, and brings together two European companies united by a shared commitment to technological independence, open technologies and a more sustainable approach to compute.
Paris, July 10th - Scaleway announced the acquisition of Qarnot, a European specialist in high-performance computing (HPC) for engineering, simulation and research workloads.
High-performance computing has become a critical enabler of industrial competitiveness, powering complex simulations across sectors including aerospace, automotive, energy, manufacturing and life sciences.
With Qarnot, Scaleway adds dedicated HPC capabilities to its Cloud & AI platform, a strategic service increasingly demanded by industrial and financial organisations. The acquisition further strengthens Scaleway's position as the only sovereign European cloud provider offering cloud, AI and dedicated HPC capabilities within a single platform.
A shared vision for Europe's Cloud & AI future
The acquisition is grounded in a strong common DNA between Scaleway and Qarnot across three key areas:
European foundation: both Scaleway and Qarnot are European companies, with European operations, governed by European jurisdiction, providing their customers immunity to extraterritorial laws.
Open ecosystem: openness and open source are core values for both companies. Both Scaleway and Qarnot use Open Compute Project standards to guide the design and deployment of their infrastructure, from server architecture to operational practices. Together, they promote interoperability, reduce dependency on proprietary technologies and help prevent customer technology lock-in.
Responsible growth: both companies believe cloud, AI and HPC must scale more responsibly. Qarnot brings recognised expertise in waste heat recovery, turning server heat into a useful energy resource for cities and industries, complementing Scaleway’s commitment to efficient and scalable European Cloud & AI infrastructure.
Unlocking the value of excess heat
As cloud infrastructure continues to scale, Europe will inevitably consume more electricity. While the industry is already working to improve compute efficiency, one major opportunity remains under-addressed: excess heat.
Qarnot has built its model around recovering and reusing the heat generated by servers. Using patented direct liquid-cooling technology, up to 95% of the heat produced by HPC servers can be recovered and redirected to district heating networks, public facilities and industrial sites, without affecting computing performance.
This model is already deployed in real-world environments, including cities such as Brescia, Italy, where Qarnot partnered with A2A to connect HPC infrastructure to the city’s district heating network, and wellness and aquatic centres, where Qarnot’s server-generated heat contributes to heating waters.
For Scaleway, this expertise strengthens the ambition to build European Cloud & AI infrastructure that delivers more compute while making better use of the heat it generates.
Trusted by Europe's leading industrial and financial organisations
Qarnot's HPC platform already powers compute-intensive workloads for organisations operating at the forefront of engineering and financial services. By providing a fully integrated solution that makes launching complex simulations seamless, it lets teams iterate on designs faster, turn validation cycles from days into hours, and scale on demand to take on studies that would otherwise be constrained by an internal cluster.
Customers include MaiaSpace, Alpine Racing, Natixis, ATR Aircraft illustrating the growing demand for sovereign high-performance computing across industries where simulation, modelling and data security are business critical.
With Scaleway's European reach and the backing of the iliad Group, these capabilities will now become available to a broader range of organisations developing the next generation of industrial, scientific and AI applications.
Damien Lucas, CEO of Scaleway
The next frontier isn't just more efficient compute. It's making sure the energy we can't avoid consuming creates value twice. Tomorrow's cloud platforms won't only be measured by the performance they deliver, but by how intelligently they use the energy they consume. Qarnot's expertise in waste heat recovery helps us move towards that future
Clément Pellegrini, CTO of Qarnot
Joining Scaleway gives Qarnot the backing of a major European cloud provider and the iliad Group. It gives us the scale, investment capacity and European reach to bring our HPC expertise to more organisations while continuing to build on the principles that shaped Qarnot from the beginning.
